The Embrace of Dissolution
by Diaz
Summary: Time has passed and reunions unfold. Tifa meets an old friend. Aeris has her hands full with the twins, until an eventful night... ?/? R&R! CH. 5 Now up! Review and pick couple! A very old friend returns flaming a new passion causing jealous tension.
1. Time's Recovery

A/N: Hello. I was inspired to write a dark piece and yes I have two other pieces started waiting to be finished. But... it's not working out that way right now. I needed to work on a piece that would satisfy the hunger for something dismal. I haven't beaten the game yet... since someone hasn't given me Disc 2... mine is messed up.  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy VII. So none of the characters, places, etc. are mine. Only the plot in which all this occurs.  
  
* * *  
  
The Embrace of Dissolution  
  
Chapter 1: Time's Recovery  
  
by: Diaz  
  
* * *  
  
The frigid cold winter current pierced to the very pale bone. Smooth velvety cloth of a blood red cloak brushed against her skin, which prickled as the numbing wind pierced through her layers of clothes. Of course, Aeris had to be in need of the herbal tea well after the sun had set. The raven-haired young woman strolled down the cobblestone path wet from the drizzle that left a gloomy aura around her and the harsh glow of the street lamps.  
  
Footsteps fell in line behind her. Never one to feel helpless, she had pushed aside the thought of someone accompanying her on this late night errand. The footfall at which the other walked echoed against the cobblestone lane following her turn after turn through the quiet sleepy dreary town.  
  
Temper flaring, she spun around on her heel to face the not so quiet pursuer. A shower of ebony hair fell around her shoulders as a cry of surprise escaped her lips. "You..."  
  
A harsh chuckle responded to her shriek. "Never knew you were such a wimp, Tifa."  
  
Surprise immediately flew from thought at the retort she had received. Arms crossed before her, Tifa glared at the man before her. "I thought you were dead," she said coldly.  
  
Surprise registered in his baby blues. "Why would you say something like that, Tif?"  
  
Innocence was not going to have any effect on her this time. She was sick and tired of being treated as if nothing had happened. First he had gone and joined SOLDIER, which took him away from home and her. After that Aeris had entered Cloud Strife's life, and ever since then everything had changed. She was put on the back burner while he got everything he wanted and so much more from the last Ancient. Now was his latest stunt of disappearing for three years with no word from the ex-SOLDIER. "You know exactly what I'm talking about, Cloud. Don't you dare play innocent with me!"  
  
The smile vanished from his handsome face. The eyes had a glint to them as they stared at her. "You know I have to sort all of this out..."  
  
"Don't give me the same old excuse again! You left me here telling me to take care of Aeris and now you have children! You, son of a bitch, got her pregnant, and now she has your daughter and son!"  
  
He moved swiftly to her side wrapping his strong protective arms around her.  
  
Damn him... she thought angrily, but didn't move. She loved him no matter what he did. Nothing in the world would ever change that.  
  
"Be patient with me, Tifa," he crooned, "that's all I ask. Please be patient with me." His lips, fiery hot, pressed against hers ending another yet quarrel without getting anything solved.  
  
* * *  
  
Her head shot up as the door opened. Ever since he had left her, she had been waiting knowing he would return to her. Her eyes softened with unshed tears as his familiar form stepped into the small house. "Cloud..." her voice came in a whisper.  
  
"Hello, Aeris," he said walking towards her.  
  
Her heart slowed to the brink of stopping as it caught in her throat. She stood up on shaking legs, and he caught her before she fell to the floor.  
  
Tifa disappeared into another room leaving the two "lovers" some time alone. Three years previous when Cloud was discovered missing, Tifa took Aeris into her home. Later that year, the Ancient discovered she was pregnant, giving birth to twins months later. Madison and Mark were two years old now and very active toddlers.  
  
Gently she opened the door smiling at the two little ones who played on the floor of their mother's bedroom. Quietly she pressed a finger to her lips and motioned for them to be quiet as well. Madison, with her chestnut blonde streaked hair and blue green eyes, immediately went over to her favorite adult person. Mark had lighter brown almost blonde hair with his father's blue eyes. He watched Tifa from the floor where he sat with a ball, a recent present from his grandmother.  
  
Footsteps echoed on the stairway as the children's parents came in. "Madison? Mark? Meet your father..."  
  
Madison hid behind Tifa's legs glancing at the strange man every now and then. Tifa couldn't blame the child. She had hoped Aeris would handle this better. From the look of Ms. Gainsborough's face, she was in heaven. Her love had come back to her and that was all that mattered.  
  
Mark remained where he was unmoving. Both children had confused expressions on their faces. After all they were only two.  
  
The tension was almost suffocating. Not wanting to leave the children alone, Tifa remained through the quiet supper, and tucking in of the children as the parents went off to their room to catch up on "business".  
  
* * *  
  
Night had fallen as a dark clothed figure departed from the house.  
  
Nibelheim had grown over the three years. More houses and shops lined the small town she had grown up in. Shinra Mansion still remained looking the same as it had long ago. No one had set foot inside the gloomy dusty place in a while. No one except Tifa.  
  
She sought comfort there. Time to think when she got time alone from the children and Aeris.  
  
The heavy wooden door was unlocked and could be nudged open with the right amount of force. Not many had obtained that force, which was one of the reasons not many people entered the building at the edge of the growing town.  
  
To her surprise, the mansion glimmered in the tender light of candles. Not a trace of dust anywhere... True she hadn't been there in a while... a year or more since the twins became more animated she didn't have a chance to escape.  
  
Looking around curiously, a shadowed figure emerged with a gun aimed straight for her heart... "Why are you here?"  
  
* * * 


	2. If I Should Die…

A/N: I'm going to try and update this as much as I can now that I'm on vacation for a week. Here's a little recap: Aeris and Tifa are living in Nibelheim with Aeris and Cloud's twin children. Cloud was gone for three years and had just returned. Tifa heads over to Shinra Mansion where she encounters a figure with a gun pointed straight at her. This is my first attempt at a songfic chapter.  
  
Disclaimer: Final Fantasy VII is not mine. I do not own it. The only ones I do are Madison and Mark, the twins. Squaresoft owns the rest. I also don't own the lyrics... they are The Calling's.  
  
* * *  
  
The Embrace of Dissolution  
  
Chapter 2: If I Should Die...  
  
by: Diaz  
  
* * *  
  
~ If we had this night together ~  
  
~ If we had a moment to ourselves ~  
  
~ If we had this night together, then we'd be unstoppable ~  
  
* * *  
  
Her eyes widened as she froze in place. The figure... it just couldn't be... he left so long ago when the group had split.  
  
"Tifa?" the voice asked in confused recognition as he stepped closer. "Is that you?" His voice was reserved as it had always been, but not as hostile as it was when he saw the unfamiliar form entering his land, his home, his grounds.  
  
"Vincent..." her voice grew quiet as her eyes took him in.  
  
His hand with the gun slipped to his side and to the floor with a thud that echoed through the house. He was about to shot his friend in the heart. What an unfeeling jerk he was.  
  
She ran over to him throwing her slender arms around him.  
  
Taken back he shifted uncomfortably under her touch. How long has it been since a woman has touched him like this? The warmth she radiated ignited long forgotten emotions. Oh, Lucrecia, how I miss you.  
  
Tifa stepped back and looked at him with starry eyes. "I can't believe you're back."  
  
Tediously he transferred back to his old self. "I have no place else to go. This is my only home."  
  
A clock somewhere in the mansion chimed the hour cutting short the reunion. "It's so late... maybe I should be getting back home..."  
  
Something within him went off. "Please. Stay. You can fill me in on what has happened since I've been gone."  
  
Hesitantly she glanced at him. "Okay... Sure why not?"  
  
* * *  
  
Warm golden morning sunlight streamed in through the open window. Cool breezy air from up Mt. Nibel. Sitting up and blinking in surprise she looked around her trying to remember where she was.  
  
Scenes from the previous night rushed into her mind.  
  
*Flashback*  
  
The two had walked down into the cool basement. The old musty books had been arranged and were no longer in piles all over the dusty floors.  
  
"What has happened since we all went our separate ways? Did Cloud find his true feelings for you?" His question was of curiosity never meaning to cause the heart-wrenching pain she had dealt with over the thoughts.   
  
Nonetheless tears pricked her chestnut eyes. "No... he wishes to be with Aeris."  
  
"The Ancient... she is still alive then."  
  
"Very much so. When the group divided and went our separate ways, Cloud left as well. All he mentioned was the fact that he had some unfinished business to deal with. He just returned last night as a matter of fact."  
  
Vincent's temper flared up. He had never liked Cloud to begin with and how he treated someone like Tifa who obviously loved the spikey-haired bastard who treated her like shit.  
  
"Aeris gave birth to twins two years ago. Madison and Mark. They're the best two little kids I know. The twin's father is Cloud. No denying it. They look like him, and Aeris has eyes only for our ex group leader. She's been a sad sight since he left."  
  
His rage heightened to the next level at those words. He couldn't explain why he felt this way, but Tifa was one of the few that had helped him. She really didn't deserve such treatment.  
  
"So over the past couple of years. I've been taking care of the children and Aeris. I think I've needed them as much as they needed me. I don't know where I would be or what I would be doing." She spun around in the dark red plush chair she was sitting in.  
  
Vincent's fury cooled slightly as he watched the young woman of the age of twenty-four. She was alone and needed someone to care for her. Someone that she wished was Cloud, but he had been so lost in his own world to notice.  
  
"Where have you been these past years?"  
  
He paused, unsure if he should tell her the truth. "I spent some time at Lucrecia's cave. I long for her so much. After all those years, and they just keep adding up. I seek her guidance when all things seem gone. I wished to join her, but she advised me through a rare dream. Now was not my time to die. There was still something, someone waiting for me out there in the world. I couldn't depart just yet. Thus I came back to here, and started fixing it up. A project to keep me busy until I figure out what I was intended to finish."  
  
She watched him intently thinking of what she had just been told.  
  
He glanced at her questioning if Tifa thought him out of his mind.  
  
"You miss her that much. I always wondered how it would feel to love someone that much and be loved back impartially."  
  
Both sat unmoving lost in their own worlds where time and love had left them standing still.  
  
Unsure of what happened next, the loners found themselves in each other's arms lips seeking comfort.  
  
Vincent sighed as warmth long forgotten embraced his forever freezing soul. Her lips hot with passion and desire ached for his. The two blazed together as if they were meant to be that way. Molded perfectly. In sync tongues touched innocently. Kiss deepening in pure passion. Never before had either shared such a sacredly burning love moment.  
  
Breathless the duet broke apart ending the harmonious perfect moment.  
  
~ Do you think that this is right, or is it really wrong ~  
  
~ I know that this is what we've been wanting ~  
  
~ And all this burning in my soul, it fills up to my throat ~  
  
~ It fills up `till my heart is breaking ~  
  
No words ensued as he ran his fingers through her silky raven waist length hair. Her head rested in his lap, brown eyes closed as the young woman drifted into a deep tranquil slumber. Strong arms lifted her up as she fell into the deep sleep.  
  
~ If we had this night together ~  
  
~ If we had a moment to ourselves ~  
  
~ If we had this night together, then we'd be unstoppable ~  
  
*End of Flashback*  
  
She pressed her hand to crimson lips blushing at the memory of the previous night. If anyone had told her she would have found such heated emotions in the arms and lips of Vincent Valentine, she would have laughed.  
  
Slipping out of bed, Tifa walked over to the immense elegant bay windows and looked over at her hometown. Time was calling her now to return to where she was needed. Back home with Cloud, Aeris, and the twins.  
  
She couldn't permit herself to leave without a good-bye to her friend. Pushing her raging emotions in the back of her mind, she descended into the depths of the mansion.  
  
* * *  
  
Lucrecia, love, what has happened? a silent cry echoed into the heavens. He loved the woman who gave birth to Sephiroth. The cryptic man never aging from twenty-seven would more than willingly give up his eternal life to be with her, his one true love.  
  
The monster she had brought into the world was now gone. The monster she loved as her son. He had nothing left of her. Memories, spoken words, to keep him going on each day.  
  
Sleep was his escape. In the dark comforts of his coffin, he could find shreds of peace. Death was against him, unwilling to take him away. Willing more to take away his victims. The victims adding up over the years. The eternal sleep he longed for out of his grasp. But how could he leave the one he was possibly falling in love with. The one who when he looked into her eyes, he found prolonged bliss.  
  
* * *  
  
The top of the coffin was propped up alongside the wall. Tifa entered the room looking around. Chills ran their way down her spine. She felt as if she was intruding on his universe. His soil. A single black candle burned in a corner of the mystifying room.  
  
Slowly, silently she crept towards his bed. He looked distraught in his sleep. As if he was lost, and had no idea in which direction he was to head. Confusion lined his handsome features.  
  
Unable to resist, she ran a hand against his cheek and jaw. The features of his face softened until his eyes flickered open. Fangs dropped into place as he reached out and grabbed her.  
  
She gave a cry of fear and protest struggling under his grasp. His fingers were digging into her skin as they pulled their victim to their master. Dark eyes glared into and penetrated her very soul. Her very existence.  
  
Tears ran down her face as the pain heightened to its climax. The salty drops fell onto the beast's hands snapping him out of his trance.  
  
He blinked in surprise at what he had done. He looked up at Tifa's tear stained face and her wrists red and slightly swollen from his attack. "Oh, Tifa..." he muttered sadly. Apologizing for his unthought actions. He sat up pulling her into his embrace.  
  
Her crying subsided gently in his arms. The pain receded as well as he murmured his apologies over and over.  
  
~ Come and lay right on my bed, sit and drink some wine ~  
  
~ I'll try not to make you cry ~  
  
~ And if you get inside my head, then you'd understand ~  
  
~ Then you'd understand me ~  
  
~ Why I've felt so alone, why I kept myself from love ~  
  
~ And you became my favorite drug ~  
  
~ So let me take you right now and swallow you down, I need you inside ~  
  
Soft light kisses touched her neck and face. Hungrily she returned them moving closer. Lips throwing away fear and shyness to do what they were meant to do.  
  
He lightly kissed her wrists wishing the pain he had ensued away.  
  
"Vincent..."  
  
The sound of his name on those lips were too much for him to withstand. He lifted her up and laid her on top of him wrapping his arms around her.  
  
~ Now we can both learn ~  
  
~ Somehow, you'll see it's all we have ~  
  
~ Love, it keeps us together ~  
  
~ And I need love ~  
  
~ When I wake up without you, knowing you're not there ~  
  
~ I'm only feeling half as good ~  
  
~ Well I'm gonna find a way ~  
  
~ To wrap you in my arms, you make me feel alive ~  
  
There they laid enfolded in something the two stubbornly refused to believe was there. That the small thing that would change everything. That small thing holding the two so close. Love stood watch over the two as slumber called them away.  
  
~ If we had the night together ~  
  
~ If we had a moment to ourselves ~  
  
~ If we had this night together, then we'd be unstoppable ~  
  
* * * 


	3. Return to Me

A/N: Hope you didn't miss me too much! I hope I'm updating fast enough... it's hard with the holidays. Especially when I spend a couple of days at a friend's. Vincent and Tifa found a bud of passion blooming among them. Would it flourish among the darkness of death?  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy VII... I just write about the characters and places. But they're not mine!  
  
* * *  
  
The Embrace of Dissolution  
  
Chapter 3: Return to Me  
  
by: Diaz  
  
* * *  
  
"Cloud?" a soft voice asked from next to him.  
  
"Mmpf..." was his reply. It was definitely too early to be up.  
  
"I need some help, and I can't find Tifa. Her bed's made still... I don't think she has here last night." Aeris dressed in her usual pink dress stood above him.  
  
Cloud pulled a feather pillow above his head drowning out his girlfriend's talk.  
  
High pitched screams from the other room followed.  
  
"Mine!!!"  
  
"Na! Mine!!!"  
  
"Aeris, shut those brats up now!" the scream bellowed from the bedroom.  
  
"Yes, Cloud," she said timidly as she walked out the door to calm her children.  
  
Cloud mumbled something as he fell back to sleep.  
  
* * *  
  
"Children, please. Quiet down. Your father is trying to sleep," Aeris whispered.  
  
"He's not ouw daddi," Mark replied childishly.  
  
"Ya! I dun like him!" Madison cried.  
  
"Children! Don't say that! He gave you life!" their mother exclaimed shocked not realizing why anyone would hate her love.  
  
"AERIS!!!" Cloud roared from the bedroom.  
  
"Where's Tifa when I need her?" the weary young woman asked herself as the twins went back to arguing.  
  
* * *  
  
A wisp of hair blew under his nose, absentmindedly he brushed it away. A soft rustling besides him made him immediately alert.  
  
Before he could respond, gentle fingers captured his arm caressing his forearm gently. Chocolate brown eyes looked up at him with a smile.  
  
The faint weight beside him with soothing smoothness shifted.  
  
He allowed his body to relax against the young beauty alongside.  
  
"Vincent... I should get back. May I return tonight?"  
  
Cool lips pressed against hers. "I wouldn't have it any other way," he whispered pushing the stray lock of hair behind her ear.  
  
* * *  
  
Leaving behind the concealed elegant man was one of the hardest things Tifa had ever done. Knowingly though she had responsibilities to carry out back home.  
  
Streams of sunlight streaked the cobblestone path, and the cool air tingled her skin. I forgot my cloak at the mansion, she thought with a sigh. But all the more reason to return.  
  
Shouts and shrieks greeted her before she even opened the door. As she walked is she was tackled to the ground by two very active children.  
  
"TIFA!!!" they screamed in unison and burst into childish giggles.  
  
"Oh, Tifa. I'm so glad you're back!" Aeris gasped as she ran over to the younger woman who was being pinned by two-year-olds.  
  
"Aeris, I thought I told you," a masculine voice said sternly coming out of the bedroom. He stopped when he saw who had just arrived. "Oh, Tifa, you're back."  
  
Tifa shot him an icy look. "Cloud, if you are not happy with how things are ran here then you are more than welcome to leave."  
  
Aeris gasped. "Tifa, Cloud's been through a lot. Please!"  
  
"Come on, Madison and Mark. Let's go and get some lunch," she said ushering them into the kitchen.  
  
Cloud bristled silently. He would get her to see his way. What had gotten into her anyway?  
  
* * *  
  
Vincent laid in his coffin thinking. Thoughts battled it out in his mind.  
  
What am I doing?  
  
She loves Cloud, not me. She needed someone to be with. In bed.  
  
She loves me. Cloud has hurt her too much to bear. He has two kids and Aeris.  
  
She just needed a man to hold her.  
  
There are so many guys who she could be with. And she chose you over them all. Tifa is not like that.  
  
She's had a hard life since she saw you last. Do you think she would still be the same?  
  
Well Cloud is the same jackass.  
  
By putting down another guy, does it make you feel better, Vincent?  
  
Why yes it does, brain.  
  
He arose battling with your mind resulted in a major headache. Touching his pounding temples with a gloved hand, he climbed the stairs that led to the upper floor.  
  
Gliding across the floor, he walked to the bedrooms the light fragrance of his sweet victim lingered in one of the rooms attracting him to it.  
  
Light-hearted giggles came from outside. Looking out into the day, he saw two young children running around in the yard. A dark-haired woman walked towards them.  
  
"Madison! Mark! If you want to have a picnic come over here!" she called gently.  
  
The two young children ran over to her as they spread the meal on the patch of grass.  
  
"Tifa..." the angelic name escaped his lips.  
  
As if she had heard him, the young beauty tilted her head towards the window.  
  
Quickly stepping back to not be seen, he tripped over the bed with a crash.  
  
Tifa laughed softly when she saw him step back quickly and had heard the crash that followed.  
  
"Tifa? Whi ar you laffing?" Mark asked his face covered with peanut butter.  
  
"Nothing, Mark. Why don't we get you cleaned up?" she asked pulling out some napkins.  
  
* * *  
  
Humiliated although all alone, Vincent stood up not believing he just lost it like that.  
  
The laughter left him a half-hour later as the day began to cool down as night was beginning to set in.  
  
"Return to me, Tifa. Please return to me." The satiny voice muttered with forehead pressed against the cooling pane of glass.  
  
* * *  
  
"Good night, children," Tifa said turning off the light.  
  
Madison and Mark laid each in their own beds closing sleepy eyes.  
  
Their parents were down the hall arguing about who knows what.  
  
She shut the door with a soft click. The arguing had stopped a little while before, and loud footsteps had followed down the stairs.  
  
Tifa quietly crept down the stairs planning on heading to Shinra Mansion. Just as she reached for the doorknob, a voice stopped her.  
  
"Where do you think you're going?" the hostile voice questioned.  
  
"I need to get my cloak from the Mansion," she replied easily.  
  
"Why didn't you do that earlier?" he said stepping out of the shadows.  
  
"I had YOUR children with me. I wasn't about to bring them in there."  
  
"You're hiding something from me, Tifa. And I don't like it. Not one bit." Arms enclosed her pulling her close to his muscular body.  
  
The familiar scent of him lit her heart. Yes, she remembered well why she had fallen for him. Too well. "Cloud..."  
  
Fiery lips pressed against hers demanding a response.  
  
Images of who she wanted to be with flooded her mind. Instinctively now she pushed him away. "I need to go, Cloud."  
  
"Who is it? There is someone. I thought you loved me."  
  
She sighed. "I love you, Cloud. But things are different now." She brushed past him heading for the door.  
"He won't keep you from me, Tifa Lockheart. I promise you that."  
  
Without another word, Tifa slipped out the door back to the Mansion and the passionate embrace of security.  
  
* * *  
  
"Cloud! How could you!" Aeris shrieked once Tifa had stepped out of the door.  
  
His head whipped around at her shriek. "Aeris..."  
  
"WHAT ABOUT THE CHILDREN???" her voice raised a couple of decibels.  
  
"Calm down..." he said softly walking closer to her.  
  
She quickly backed away nearly tripping over the rug. "Stay away from me! Just stay away! And get out now!"  
  
"Angel..."  
  
"Don't `Angel' me, Cloud Strife!"  
  
Madison and Mark shot each other looks through the dark room. They were used to the constant arguments between their so-called parents. Quietly creeping to the top of the stairs, they watched the dramatics unfold.  
  
She was now throwing things. Glass, pictures, chairs. Anything she could get her hands on.  
  
Dodging the thrown items, he closed the gap.  
  
She picked up a knife and hurled it at him tears blinding her sight. All they heard was a blood curdling scream and a body drop.  
  
"No..."  
  
Madison and Mark ran back to their room diving under the covers.  
  
* * * 


	4. Possible Slaying in Nibelheim

A/N: I am soooo sorry! Between projects and midterms, which I just finished, I haven't had much time to work on this. I really did think about it a lot, but some things are more important in my parents' eyes than writing, and as long as I live under their roof I must obey the laws. Anyway here is what we left off with last...  
  
She picked up a knife and hurled it at him tears blinding her sight. All they heard was a blood curdling scream and a body drop.  
  
"No..."  
  
Madison and Mark ran back to their room diving under the covers.  
  
What has happened? Well I know and you'll just have to read and find out!  
  
Disclaimer: Squaresoft owns FFVII not I said the fanfic writer who feels guilty about not updating earlier.  
  
* * *  
  
The Embrace of Dissolution  
  
Chapter 4: Possible Slaying in Nibelheim  
  
by: Diaz  
  
* * *  
  
Welcoming arms and lips greeted her as she stepped into the Shinra Mansion. "Welcome."  
  
The events that took place just minutes earlier escaped her mind as she flung her arms around him, body against body.  
  
Heated, passionate lips met bronzing together.  
  
Quickly he pulled away, looking at her like he kissed Evil itself on those lips. "Tifa?"  
  
She knew immediately what he had tasted on her lips. "Please let me explain..."  
  
He looked at his lover, and knew he could not resist such a request. Silently he walked up to one of the bedrooms, the room she had slept in the other night, and leaned against the wall.  
  
She was right behind him and sat down on the bed. "I tucked in the little ones, and was heading over here to see you. Cloud stopped me demanding to know where I was going. He was persistent in saying that I was meeting someone else. That I loved someone else... he kissed him claiming he still loved me. Vincent, it's not the same anymore... he has children... he has Aeris. And I grew to love them; I can't take their father away from them. I'll always have a soft spot for Cloud. He is after all my first love, but he's not who I want to be with."  
  
Shadows clung to him as he stood in the darkness. The obscurity contained his emotions and thoughts from her, so all she could do was sit there and wait. Wait for some reaction or word.  
  
Cloud... The traitor's scent invaded him. His territory. His home, his town, ... his mate.  
  
The last thought was a slap in the face for him. Did he actually just think that? Is that what he desired? There was no denying the fact that his feelings for her were powerful, but were they that deep?  
  
The silence to her seemed never-ending. She clenched the blankets on the bed in her hands uneasily.  
  
In the moonlight, her form was almost mystifying... haunting yet so beautiful. Graceful seductress mingled with the night's twilight was almost too much for him to bear.  
  
* * *  
  
"Oh... my... what have I done?" Aeris muttered.  
  
Cloud lied on the ground unconscious. The end of the knife stuck out of his chest. Crimson blood pooled around his seemingly lifeless body.  
  
"Is he...?" She kneeled next to him and touched his wrist. A faint pulse was all she could find.  
  
"Damn it..." she cursed getting up uncertain of what to do.  
  
* * *  
  
"Vincent, I should just go home..."  
  
Surprise glistened in his eyes. "Tifa... no..."  
  
She stood up and walked to the large wooden doors, and looked back at him before heading out into the night.  
  
He looked at her departing form and glided hastily after her.  
  
Blinded by emotions, she ran to her house at the side of Nibelheim. Flinging open the door, she collided with Aeris, who remained still in a panic.  
  
"Aeris?!?!" she yelped falling backwards. Her hand landed in a sticky puddle. She lifted it only to realize blood dripped from her fingers. Her eyes traveled to the source, and her jaw dropped as they feel onto her first love's body.  
  
Vincent entered a few minutes later. He found Aeris in a state of shock, and Tifa with Cloud's head in her lap. The pool of blood on the floor was almost as tempting as Tifa was up in the bedroom. Quickly he pushed the thought from his mind.  
  
"Oh, Cloud..." she murmured pushing his blond spiked hair from his face.  
  
Madison and Mark shook hiding under their blankets. Terrified to face their mother again.  
  
Tifa looked up and noticed Vincent. "Please get the doctor."  
  
The hurt and pain in her eyes made him take a step back. Yes, he knew that look. The look of undeniable pain of love. He stepped back out into the street and headed to the doctor's house a few houses away.  
  
Aeris buried her face in her hands as she sobbed uncontrollably.  
  
Tifa looked at her hopelessly trying to make Cloud comfortable the best she could until the doctor arrived.  
  
That was the scene Vincent and Dr. Gavin walked in on nine minutes later.  
  
* * *  
  
"Madison? Mark?" Tifa asked walking into their room.  
  
"TIFA!" they screamed running to her frightened nearly to death.  
  
"Dears, are you all right?" she questioned as they started crying.  
  
"We herd Mummy an Mistur Cloth fightin an we saw hur throw stuff a im..." Mark whimpered.  
  
"You two saw!" Tifa said shocked.  
  
They nodded bursting into tears again.  
  
A soldier knocked on the open door and peered in. The young face made Tifa look twice. He reminded her of Cloud when he told her he wanted to join SOLDIER all those years ago. So determined, yet so young.  
  
"Yes? How can I help you?" she asked.  
  
"We had Cloud transported over to the clinic, and I just came up to check if everything is all right. Aeris was brought to the clinic as well for some mental treatment. If umm... he dies, there will be a trial."  
  
Tifa paled and hugged the children. "Aeris can be...?"  
  
The soldier motioned for her to follow him.  
  
Tifa smiled a little at the decency. She followed him out into the hall and shut the door behind him. "Well?"  
  
"Yes... she can convicted of murder if Cloud died. Right now there is a very slim chance he will. If he does become conscience, Cloud can drop charges, but everything is very uncertain right now."  
  
"Thank you for telling me the truth. The children have been through a tough time. I might bring them somewhere else."  
  
"That will be fine."  
  
"Umm... do you mind if I ask you a question?"  
  
"Go ahead."  
  
"What's your name?"  
  
He smiled making a few years melt from his work-toughened face. "My name is Zack." With that, he left her to finish his duties.  
  
"Zack... wasn't that the name of Aeris's old boyfriend?" She shook her head and went back to the children. "How about we pack some things, and we'll go somewhere?"  
  
"Yay!" they shouted in their childish ways.  
  
* * *  
  
A form appeared in her doorway as she kneeled on the floor tossing some of her things into a bag.  
  
"Where are you going?"  
  
She sighed looking at him. "I don't know..."  
  
He walked over to her pulling her up gently against him. "Tifa, just come with me."  
  
"To the mansion?" Her chestnut eyes met his scarlet ones. "What about the children?"  
  
"Bring them, too. I want to keep an eye on you. And we need to talk again. We never finished."  
  
She closed her eyes taking in his musky scent. "Thank you."  
  
He remained quiet just holding her.  
  
Little footsteps on the stairs made them jump apart as the children ran into the room. "Tifa!"  
  
"Madi and Mark, this is Vincent."  
  
The children looked at him observing him in their childlike fashion. They smiled and hugged his legs, one on each side.  
  
Tifa shot him a strange look. How come they were so much more willing to accept Vincent than Cloud, their own father?  
  
Vincent returned the look equally confused. "You two, we're going to go to Shinra Mansion, okay?"  
  
Their eyes lit up. They had never been allowed to go there before. Giggles and shouts filled the room as they pulled the Tifa and Vincent out of the room.  
  
Tifa made a quick grab for her bag as the twins propelled them out.  
  
They waited impatiently as Tifa locked the door behind them.  
  
* * *  
  
"Home, sweet, home."  
  
Madison and Mark ran around amazed. From the stories they had heard, Shinra Mansion was supposed to be old, dusty, worn down, and probably haunted.  
  
"You two can sleep in this bedroom..." Vincent said stopping in a room next to the one Tifa has slept in.  
  
Tifa nodded. "You two need some sleep. In bed with ya." She shooed them in since it was the middle of the night after all.  
  
The twins jumped each into his or her own bed and snuggled underneath the covers.  
  
"Good night," she said turning off the light.  
  
"Night, Tifa," Mark replied.  
  
"Night, Vincent," Madison said softly.  
  
* * *  
  
Tifa and Vincent headed down to the library in the basement.  
  
"Now we need to talk..." 


	5. Passionate Consequences

Diaz: *bows slightly* Hello again! Sorry! I had so much work to do lately between trying to update my fics and all my homework, which is not humanly possible, not to mention drama... out production is tomorrow after all.  
  
Bob: Quack qua quack!  
  
Diaz: Ummm... so?  
  
Bob: Quack!  
  
Diaz: For those of you that missed that... Bob said that I've been sleeping a lot, and that's one of the reasons that I haven't been updating... I don't get much sleep at night. It's all school's fault!  
  
Bob: Quack quac quack qua!  
  
Diaz: I miss my video games okay? I gave them up for Lent... it's almost over though... just think that... *goes to hug her pillow and look over her strategy guides*  
  
Disclaimer: You know the drill by now. SQUARESOFT OWNS FF! NOT I!  
  
* * *  
  
The Embrace of Dissolution  
  
Chapter 5: Passionate Consequences  
  
* * *  
  
"Tifa? What am I to you?"  
  
She turned her head away looking at the ceiling. Doing everything in her power to avoid looking at him. To see the hurt and betrayal in his eyes.  
  
"Vincent... You mean the world to me. Don't do this."  
  
A cool hand cupped her chin in its grasp. "I need to know. Do you love him?"  
  
"I already told you."  
  
His eyes met hers as he looked into her eyes, and found himself drowning among them. The swirl of pain, passion, love, and betrayal greeted him as he met them in her eyes, the mirror of her soul.  
  
She leaned back in the chair and tilted her head to the side slightly. "So now what?"  
  
An undisturbed darkness engulfed her drawing her up in his grasp. He stood above her holding her warm passionate body against his cool one feeling every response.  
  
A smooth motion pushed the musty books to the floor as he laid her on the heavy wooden desk.  
  
She moaned softly as he lips left butterfly kisses on her neck.  
  
Beneath his lips, he felt the pulsating warmth of her blood just within his reach. All he had to do...  
  
NO! his heart snapped at him. This was the woman he loved... he couldn't... yet... the temptation...  
  
Fangs sunk into the warm fragrant flesh. A sharp cry from the innocent, who slowly relaxed into his embrace falling into the dizzying spell of sleep.  
  
The flood of heated, syrupy, pure scarlet blood slid through his mouth aflamed his thirst as he drank over. Life's blood drawn from his new love. His eyes closed savoring every single tiny drop...  
  
His eyes snapped open as he looked at the lifeless form in his arms. A scarce breath escaped her pale lips. "No..."  
  
Why in hell did I just do that?  
  
Because you crave blood more than Tifa, the voice in his head chirped.  
  
He growled at that. I do love her.  
  
Then why did you do it, Vincent? A lover would never hurt his love even if it did mean giving up a life thirst.  
  
Must we deal with this now? I need to get her to Dr. Gavin.  
  
Grateful he was when his mind shut up. He wiped the blood away from his mouth removing traces of evidence. This was not going to look good...  
  
He scooped up his beloved's body and glided up the main floor of Shinra Mansion. Out the door and to Dr. Gavin's he went.  
  
* * *  
  
A startled member of SOLDIER opened the door. The town was still cloaked in darkness for the sun had yet risen.  
  
"Help, please. An animal attacked her..." he said trying to feign some anxiety to avoid even more suspicion.  
  
Zack's eyes widened. "Tifa... I just saw her less than an hour ago! How could it have happened so fast? Here I'll take her to the doctor..."  
  
* * *  
  
Tifa winced. Her head felt as if it was full of cotton. "Where... where am I?"  
  
A handsome face appeared next to her. "You're awake? Thank, God!"  
  
"Zack? What happened?" she said confused her throat throbbing.  
  
A man came in here about five hours ago saying you were attacked by an animal. You lost a lot of blood."  
  
Her mind raced trying to remember. I was with Vincent in the library... the passion... the fangs ... the blood... Oh, Vincent... Tears pricked her eyes.  
  
"He just left a little while after we took you in talking something about twins. Do you have children?"  
  
She shook her head. "No... I help look after Aeris's children, remember? She has twins."  
  
A soft voice came outside the door. "Is she awake yet, Doctor?"  
  
The door creaked open; Dr. Gavin's head poked into the room. "Zack? Well hello, Tifa... someone would like to see you. Would that be all right?"  
  
"Who is it?"  
  
"Vincent? He's been asking for you a lot. Is he a boyfriend?" Zack asked curiously.  
  
"I don't know..." her hesitance earned her a sympathetic smile from the SOLDIER. "Let him in."  
  
He nodded his head with a sense of authority and dignity as he went out into the hall to get her guest. "You may come in now, Tifa is awake."  
  
Vincent's rage reached a peak when he heard the concern and overall affection towards the raven-haired beauty. The monstrous beast inside him yearned... struggling to get out and attack the intruder.  
  
"Vincent..." a soft voice questioned him the moment the door clicked shut.  
  
He knelt next to her bed running a hand through her hair gently. "I'm sorry... I'm so sorry... I never meant for that to happen..."  
  
Her eyes stung with unshed tears. "You betrayed my trust..."  
  
"Tifa... let me..."  
  
"No, Vincent," she interrupted. "I don't think we should see each other right now. It's just not a good time. Not after what happened."  
  
He opened his mouth wishing to speak until the door swung open.  
  
I'm sorry for the disturbance, but Dr. Gavin has so news about Cloud and Aeris..."  
  
The indifferent look on his face immediately caught Tifa's attention. "What's wrong? Is something wrong?"  
  
He wants me to tell you that..."  
  
* * *  
  
((Diaz: MWHAHAHA! Cliffhanger! Oww! *gets hit with her FF7 Strategy Guide*  
  
Bob: *chuckles in his duckie way*  
  
Diaz: Okay so I lied! I'm sorry okay?))  
  
* * *  
  
"Cloud is in critical condition. He lost a lot of blood..."  
  
"Was he given a blood transfusion?" she asked shooting Vincent a look that made the creature of the night wish for the hundredth time that night that what happened never took place at all. Tifa wrung her shaking hands together.  
  
The fighter of SOLDIER with hair as dark as the inquirer nodded curtly. "I gave him a enough to keep him sustained and living."  
  
A weak smile played her lips. "Thank you, Zack."  
  
He bestowed upon her a genuine smile revealing his feelings, heart and soul out before her and for the taking. "You're welcome, Tifa. If Vincent hasn't told you already, well the twins are here in Mrs. Gavin's care. She is more than happy to watch them until you are well again, if you would grant permission."  
  
"Of course. Please thank her for me."  
  
He gave her a smaller but no less expressive of the passion flaring in his heart and essence. Zack turned to Vincent. "I'm sorry... Dr. Gavin would like all visitors to leave. The patients need their rest."  
  
Vincent shot Tifa a look begging for forgiveness, but she reflected it with coolness. He turned and left the room knowing that night wasn't the night. "Good night, Tifa."  
  
Light sweet laughter answered his farewell as Zack smiled down on Tifa in the pure gentle radiance of young love.  
  
Rejected, the beast of the dark headed through the night's streets back to the Mansion where he reigned supreme and wasn't rejected by the unforgiving.  
  
* * *  
  
Diaz: Aww... *resists all urges to hug Vincent* Peoples! I need you to let me know what you think, and what path this fic should take. Tifa/Vincent or Tifa/Zack... and any ideas of what should happen to the bedridden unconscious couple? Please review! Love ya all if you do! JA NE until next time! ^_^ 


	6. Aftermath of Deception

Diaz: Hey there, readers! Diaz here with the awesome duo, Fred and Bob! Say hi, guys!  
  
Bob and Fred: *in unison* QUACK!  
  
Diaz: Shush! I'm happy! I just finished a light work out, showered, and now want to type my little heart out okay?  
  
Fred: *to Bob* Quac quack qua quac qu quack! ((Translation: Diaz lost it...))  
  
Bob: Quack! ((Translation: Yup!))  
  
Diaz: I did not! I am perfectly sane! Ask any of my friends... wait no... bad idea... can I go on with the fic already?  
  
Bob: Quack... ((Translation: Well...))  
  
Fred: Qua quack... ((Translation: Someone has to...))  
  
Diaz: Hehe...  
  
"Light sweet laughter answered his farewell as Zack smiled down on Tifa in the pure gentle radiance of young love.  
  
Rejected, the beast of the dark headed through the night's streets back to the Mansion where he reigned supreme and wasn't rejected by the unforgiving."  
  
That's from the last chapter... okay?  
  
Disclaimer: Hmm... I still don't think anyone would sue if I didn't put this in... but oh well! I do NOT own FF! But I did finally get somewhere in my game so that's good right? And to the reader who made the comment about Vincent not being a vampire... well... I know he's not... but I have a thing for vampires... hehe...  
  
Fred: Qua quack? ((Translation: The story?))  
  
Diaz: Oh yea... here we go...  
  
* * *  
  
The Embrace of Dissolution  
  
Chapter 6: Aftermath of Deception  
  
* * *  
  
"Morning, sleepy head..."  
  
"No, Mommy, it's too early to get up right now... and I don't want to go to school..." Tifa mutters snuggling against the blankets.  
  
A soft tug pulled the blankets away from her head causing her to yelp against the sudden brightness of the sunlight. Yes, it was morning all right.  
  
A chuckle came from next to her. "So you're up now?"   
  
"No..." she said dryly pulling the fuzzy white blanket back over her head.  
  
"Oh... come on... don't you want breakfast? Mrs. Gavin made it specially for you."  
  
"Hmm... only if you answer me one thing..." Tifa said slowly adjusting to the morning's light.   
  
((Diaz: Hey there... I never ever write a whole chapter in one sitting it's just not possible for me... and I just got a job. Lots of fun... so I don't know how often I will be able to update this fic or any of my other ones so I'm sorry people! I'll do my best!))  
  
"And what would that be, my lady?" he asked gallantly.  
  
"Are you Aeris's boyfriend?"  
  
His handsome face clouded over with discomfort.  
  
"I'm sorry..."  
  
He hushed her with a look. "Aeris and I were a couple once, but then like Cloud I went away and joined SOLDIER leaving a loved one behind. I promised to come back to her... that day at the cliff when I was dragging Cloud's unconscience at the cliff and Shinra attacked us. They thought I was dead and left us there. I guess Cloud regained conscience and went down to Midgar... we were right there. He probably thought I was dead, too. When I finally did come to I was in a pile of blood and my sword was gone. I headed into Midgar where the Gavins took me in. I was around when the whole Meteor threat was going on. The Gavins were so nice to me, and wanted to leave the city and insisted I go with them to a small town called Nibelheim. I remembered what had happened there before, but I wanted to give these people a sense of security and went with them. Ever since then I've been here. True, I have thought about Aeris, and knew she was in town. I saw her quite a few times, but all she knew me as was the SOLDIER. I knew we were never meant to be something more than that, so I hung back. I've been watching you as well Tifa..."  
  
((STALKER!!!))  
  
Instead of being frightened like any other normal person, Tifa wasn't. She had faced Sephiroth, faced the possible world's demise, tended to a friend/rival's needs and children, ran a bar, got back to her life, and faced death more than once. She was intrigued. "And what have you seen, Zack?"  
  
"That you are an independent, hard working young woman who for the past three years has been doing nothing for herself but tend to a woman who is so lost in her own world of love to notice how you lost yours. You risked your life to be with a man who never looked twice at you until now. And what has he given you? True, Cloud is a good man, but he's lost. That direction can't just be from you. You've done so much and now you need to live your own life."  
  
She nodded her head looking at him. "Hey, Zack?"  
  
"Yea?"  
  
"I think my breakfast is getting cold..."  
  
He blushed. "I'm sorry... here." He set down the tray with her breakfast next to her bed, so she could eat.   
  
Tifa sampled the meal and smiled. "This is great. Now back to what you were saying... I want to travel again, and this time I'll bring the twins with me."  
  
He smiled. "If there is anything I can do for you just let me know."  
  
"I will," she promised finishing her breakfast and handing back over the leftover tray.   
  
"Dr. Gavin will be in shortly," he said all back to business.   
  
"Thank you, Zack."  
  
"You're welcome, Tifa."  
  
* * *  
  
Vincent leaned back in a thick musty chair. No light reached him in the dark basement of Shinra Mansion. He was left in peace to think about what was going on. Jealousy pricked the back of his mind. That guy... Zack... he was a threat. Someone that was standing in the way of his happiness. A threat that needed to be taken out as soon as possible.   
  
What if she is happier with him?  
  
Why would that be? She says she loves me.  
  
That was before you betrayed her trust. That was harsh. What if she never believes in you again? It is likely, you know.  
  
I know... and that's the last thing I want. I hope she gives me another chance.   
  
Hope, Vincent? Where did that come from? After you lost Lucrecia, you yelled and screamed that you would never want to bring this upon yourself again. Now what is this? You have gone soft over a woman. You've been setting yourself up for this for a long time.   
  
He remained quiet listening to the thoughts duke it out in his head. It was amazing he suffered no side effects from them beside more confusion. Usually one idea came out superior over the other, but lately all he got was mass confusion.   
  
Vincent had no idea what to do anymore. There was one place that would welcome him with opened arms and a loving heart. He was going to see the woman who first captured his heart.   
  
* * *  
  
"Tifa, how are you doing? You seem to be doing much better."  
  
"Thank you, Dr. Gavin, for everything. Between helping my friends, watching the twins, and taking care of me. I don't know what I would do without you and Mrs. Gavin," Tifa said most graciously.  
  
He waved away the thank you. "It's my job. Now I've been talking to Zack and the wife, and we all feel you need a break to get away. When's the last time you left Nibelheim?"  
  
She thought back. It had been a while. "I think before the twin's were born..."  
  
"Dear, that is too long for someone as young as yourself. After saving the world from impending doom, I know all I would want is to rest and live a well deserved life to the fullest and not cater around to a misfortunate friend and her family..."  
  
"But they are my family. After I lost my mother when I was young, and then my father to Sephiroth, I wondered if I would ever be part of a family again. When Aeris had the twins it was like my family was coming back to me in another shape... another form."  
  
"Tifa?"  
  
"I know I won't find my family truly, but I can still create one of my own. That is what I need."  
  
He nodded his head understandingly. "Your progress is pleasantly surprising. Once you are fully recovered do you promise to give yourself a break? Why not take the twins and Zack to Coasta del Sol? He needs a break as well and it would be payment enough to see you two happy."  
  
She smiled. A trip with the twins and Zack may not be so bad. The slight nagging feeling at the back of her mind tugged gently revealing a form stubbornly pushed to the deepest realms of her conscience. Vincent...  
  
The pig-headedness snapped at the name. "Okay, Dr. Gavin. I promise. Once I'm well again I will go with Mark and Madison to the beach. If Zack would like he is more than welcome. You will take care of Aeris and Cloud won't you?"  
  
"Of course," he said beaming happily.   
  
"Then send the children in and I'll see what they think."  
  
He departed after informing her that Cloud was stable and just slipping into a safety zone. Aeris was currently still in shock, and he hoped she would be better soon or else they would have to send her to where she could get more help. Probably the renovated Mideel where they found Cloud with Mako poisoning when the weapons initially appeared.   
  
Tifa leaned back relaxing against the pillows filled with Chocobo feathers. Things definitely seemed to be looking up. Now if only one dark and strikingly handsome man would leave her mind. "Oh, Vincent..." she whispered a tear slipping down her cheek.  
  
* * *  
  
Avoiding the bright sunlight, that had no true effect on him besides the fact that he just didn't like it, he watched the Gavin's house/clinic from his post. Again his mind bickered, this time whether or not he should go in and say good-bye before he left. His eyes were fixed on a window... her window. As he was about to step forward, a man entered the room. Dark hair that rivaled the dark beauty lying in bed. Quickly he stepped back amongst the shadows.   
  
Light carefree innocent radiance flowed around them. Nothing seemed to be able to penetrate the aura. Not even a dark old heart.  
  
"Good-bye, Tifa."  
  
Don't forget me... he thought grievously to himself. But then maybe that would be for the best...  
  
* * * 


End file.
